Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-03
WANTED A COMPANION.
By BELLE MEADE SMITH,

WANTED A COMPANION.
BY BELLE MEADE SMITH.
Another of .7Ae Sshsation of the Sum.
mer," etc.
An advertisement In the Chicago Sd
"Wanted-A companion for an invalid.
A young lady preferred. Must be intelli'
gent. cheerful and amiable. travelling ex-
penses paid. Address b, Kansas City,
No."
From Miss Esta Gillette. in Chicago. to B.,
IN Kansas City.
Dear Sir-I am nineteen, and ameof
. happy disposition. l have had con.
siderable experience as a nurse, and feel
qualified to make myself invaluable to
an invalid. For further particulars, ad-
dress Miss Esta Gillette, No. 80 - St..
Chicago.
From Dick Bonsall, in Kansas City to Miss
Esta Gillette, in Chicago.
Miss GILLETTE-If you can start i'm
mediately for Kansas City, telegraph
me for money, which shall send you by
express.
III.
From Miss Esta Gillette, in Kansas City, to
Miss Lizzie Marsh, in Chicago.
Dear Lizzie Il accomplished my
journey with as much dispatch as pos
sible, and arrived here in safety one
week ago. My position is easy and
agreeable. ] have nothing to do but
direct the servants and amuse Mrs. Bon
sail. She is a pretty young woman,
with sweet manners and cultivated
mind, but she is suffering from name.
lees sort of malady, which l fear she
cannot long survive. may be mistaken,
but l suspect that unhappiness is the
fundamental cause of her ill.health. l
have seen very little OF Mr.. Bonsall. He
is away from home almost all OF the
time.
From Mrs. Bonsall in Kansas City, to Mrs.
Cross in New York.
".
My Dear Mammal know it will be
q comfort to you, to learn at last, l
have found q companion who is in every |
respect satisfactory. Her name is Esta |
Gillette. She is like a dear sister to |
me. have no secrets frem her. l am |
feeling triAe better than when l wrote |
Last but Il am still unequal to a long
letter. As usual Dick is travelling. He |
does not even apologize for his absence
any more. All, well, cannot last
much longer and then he will be free to
marry some one else. Poor fellow! l
pity him too. 1t is hard for him to be
linked to one whom he detests.
V.
From Miss Esta Gillette in Kansas City, to
Miss Lizzie Marsh in Chicago.
Dear Lizzie-As supposed, there is a
skeleton in the closet. Mrs. Bonsall Tor
Flora, a. she wishes me to call herr has
told me all about it. If the matter was
Q secret should not mention it, even to
you; but unhappily it is not. Mr.. Bon
sail, Sr., who was Wall street broker,
was at one time quite wealthy
man. When his son Dick had attained
his majority, and was, with energy,
studying medicine, he married again.
Dicks mother died when he was a child.
Mr.. Bonsall's second wife was widow
with one daughter and an ample for
tune.
Shortly after the wedding of Mr.. Bon.
sail and Mrs. Cross (Flora's mother), Mr..
Bonsall decided that it would be desir-
able to bring about union between Dick
ana Flora. Mrs. Bonsall was of the same
opinion, and 30 was Flora; but Dick. who
had from the first disliked his step. sister,
refused to comply with his fathers
wishes. However, Mr.. Bonsall, who
had personal reasons for wishing to
press the matter, kept both Mrs. Bon
sail and Flora in ignorance of his sons
views, and secretely encouraged the af-
lection with which Dick had inspired
Miss Cross.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Bonsall, Sr., who had
unknown to his wife, been speculating
with her money, made an unlucky in.
vestment, and lost not only his own,
but her fortune. Rumors to that effect
reached her ears, and she commenced
to investigate the affair. Her husband
denied his insolvency; but she was a
shrewd woman and threatened to appeal
to the court unless he gave her salts.
factory account of her fortune. Thus
pressed, he laid the matter before his
son, who in order to keep his father out
of prison agreed to marry Miss Cross
and assume Mr.. Bonsall's liabilities. A
hurried wedding and an illegal sort of a
settlement was the result of this con-
ference, after which Dick gave up his
professional hopes, and turned his at
tention to making money. For time
the parents and children continued to
live together, but as Mrs. Bonsall could
not fail to see, that something was amiss,
she placed her case in the hands of an
attorney, who soon made it clear that
she was almost penniless. She then
y.gk q
vorce, which she readily obtained;
Dick, who was bitterly disappointed, and
morbidly unhappy, removed his young
wife to Kansas City, and MIR. Bonsali,
ST., disappeared, and has not since been
heard of. 1t is believed that he is
abroad. sincerely pity Mr.. Dick Bon
sail. He is extremely fortunate in bis
business relations, but his heart was so
set upon becoming physician, that he
finds all other occupations uncongenial.
Then too, his aversion for his wife is SO
intense that it renders his home life in
tolerable. But it is, of course, with
Flora that / most keenly sympathize.
She loves her husband devotedly, and
his indifference is absolutely killing her.
VI.
From Miss Esta Gillette in Kansas City, to
Miss Lizzie Marsh in Chicago.
Dear Lizzie-Poor Flora occupies all
of my time of late. She is suffering
acutely from nervous prostration, and
her heart which l think is breaking, gives
her considerable trouble. She is the most
accomplishing creature 1 ever saw. ]
wish could do something to bring a
little sunshine into her life. Mr.. B.
has been home for two weeks, but he
treats her go coldly that l believe she ia
better when he is away. He is hand.
some man, with peculiarly fascinating
manners, and do not wonder that his
wife, who idolizss him, suffers from his